Inverted vulva and puppy vaginitis.

Dr. Marie replied:

You've asked a very good question! Will an inverted vulva go away after a heat cycle?

As far as I know, no one has done a formal study to determine whether a dog with an inverted vulva should go through a heat cycle.

I did a search on Veterinary Information Network and read some discussions between veterinary reproductive specialists. Most of the specialists do believe that letting a dog go through a heat cycle will help with this problem. However, no one knows for sure.

What we do know is that going through a heat cycle will help with the vaginitis. In fact, if a pup has puppy vaginitis and we spay her before her heat cycle we can often see lifelong problems with this. So, it does sound like a good idea to let her go through a heat cycle and see what happens.

Now, another thing to think about is whether or not she should be bred. While an inverted vulva is not known to be a "genetic trait", any type of physical abnormality can be passed on to her puppies. Also, sometimes when a dog has an inverted vulva there can be other problems with the structure of the vagina.

I think it's a good idea to see how the vulva looks after her heat and then have your vet do an exam to see if there are any other obvious defects before you consider using her for breeding.

I'd also like to comment on the use of cranberry juice. I wouldn't recommend it. People will use cranberry juice to avoid getting E-Coli infections in their urinary tract. The idea is that the cranberry juice will lower the pH, and infections don't like to live in a low pH. However, if we consistently cause a dog to have low urinary pH we can sometimes cause them to get urinary crystals or bladder stones called calcium oxalate stones.

A better idea to help reduce the risk of infection is to daily take a cloth or a baby wipe and wipe out the folds of skin around her vulva.

I hope this information has been helpful!

Dr. Marie.





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Dr. Marie replied:

There really is no benefit in giving the cranberry at all.